SOLD: Two Vivitar 285HV Flashes

[Lupe Talamantez]

Sold.

One flash is Japanese, the other is Korean, and their age is a mystery. Both work well with the original plastic shoe, and both are cosmetically equal in scuffs and normal use wear. There is included only one unaltered AP-1 battery holder. The other two battery holders were modified via a DIY mod found here on TPF to allow rapid cycle and long hours of operation. Home-made diffusers are pictured here attached with Velcro tape. This a perfect solution for the aspiring portrait photographer wanabe.

Here are a couple of ways to sell these things.

Option 1: Each flash by itself is $60. Of course, the second one sold won’t have the battery holder to go with it.

Option 2: Each flash with its DIY mod with its own 6volt battery is $72. Again, the second one sold won’t have the battery holder. It’s a little more, but dadgum, you won’t need to buy AA’s ever.

Option 3: Buy both flashes with the DIY mod with 6volt batteries,the battery holder plus an automatic shut off battery charger for $150.

Shipping is $5 for Options 1 or 2. $8 for the heavier Option 3.

Not included are the eBay triggers that were used to demonstrate the flashes. If you want to buy the set of 3 receivers, then let me know. The transmitter has the antenna mod done to it. They work much better than without it.

[The Loft Studios]

Hi Lupe,
Are there 2 DIY Battery Systems that come with both Flash (i.e. 2-Batteries/2 Flashes) or is there just 1 DIY Battery System and 2 Flashes. Also, is there a way to recharge the DIY Battery or once it's dead, you'll have to purchase another. And if not rechargeable, how many "FULL" manual flashes do you think a 285HV can generate before it goes dead.

Thanks!
-Mark

[Lupe Talamantez]

I am off work today, so you will read a lot.

There are 2 DIY battery systems. That is, 2 Vivitars each with a dummy battery insert, each with a 6 volt battery, and 1 battery charger that charges both of them.

I have observed that the dead 6 volt battery (as pictured) can be recharged in approximately 3 hours with the Radio Shack wall charger (not pictured). Usually, this gets done during available idle time. The discharge nature of these batteries is slower than the common types we use. The life span is about 5-7 years and these have another 3 left in them. You'll get your money's worth. These are the same batteries that one would find inside a fire alarm cabinet in some buildings. How often does the fire alarm company come in to replace them? Typically, Altex Electronics sells them for $12.

As to how many "FULL" manual flashes? Now you are drawing on the part of me that I failed in college, math. I used these flashes in shooting HS basketball, and I shot two games in a night totaling about 530 photo flashes and spanning approximately 3 hours at 2 times a week. Is that enough for a photo shoot? Recharging them both was purely habit. I charged them once a month rarely checking the voltage levels.

Most flashes cannot handle the 4.5 amp push that Vivitars can. One of the contacts melted on my 430EX using this setup. I don't know about the present day Vivitars. Of course, with a "FULL" manual setting, you gotta wait about 4 seconds before firing the next shot. Using the 1/16th or 1/4th power setting on the knob allowed 2-3 second lapse between flashes. Actually, with good flash placement, I rarely used "FULL" manual mode. If you check out the Al Jacobs website, he has better info than I ever will.

For portability and quick setup and for a one-person photo shoot, these Vivitars may work out for most situations. There are adapters for adding accessories and carrying the strobist in you further than I did.

I hope this answers your question.

[David Whatley]

Lupe, I will take both of them.
David

[Lupe Talamantez]

David,

I will be taking it to Post Office tomorrow morning. Guesstimated arrival time to Hurst could be Tue/Wed.

By the way, an auto-generated TPF notification informed me that your PM box needs to delete or empty out some messages. You are too popular!

Thank you very much,
Lupe